Black Country, New Road’s latest single, Besties, exudes a delightful sense of whimsy, characterised by their typically eclectic instrumentation. The track seems like ‘baroque indie’ (if such a thing exists), featuring a melody that is both memorable and uplifting, leaving you with a smile on your face at every twist and turn contained within. Intricate layers of melody and counter-melody are skillfully woven together, with stabs and streams of saxophone, slivers of harpsichord, and harmony-laden backing vocals coalescing into a cohesive and frankly brilliant invitation into their world.
‘Besties’is the lead single from their forthcoming album, Forever Howlong, set to be released on April 4th via the ever brilliant Ninja Tune. This marks the band’s first studio release since 2022’s ‘Ants From Up There’, and showcases a new vocal dynamic, with Georgia Ellery, Tyler Hyde, and May Kershaw sharing lead vocals and songwriting duties. Ellery notes, “It created a real through line for the album, having three girls singing. It’s definitely very different to Ants From Up There, because of the female perspective – and the music we’ve made also compliments that”. With Besties, Black Country, New Road continues to evolve, delivering a track that is staggeringly inventive and cements their place at the forefront of ambitious pop music right now.
Check it out, here
